Power-driven tool.



N0. 698,4l8. Patented Apr. 22, I902.

H. F. SPRAGUE.

POWER DRIVEN TOOL.

(Application filed Jan. 8, 1902.)

(No Model.)

v J5 i' fl- UNIT STATES PATENT OFFIcE- RUFUS F. SPRAGUE,"OF GREENVILLE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE GORDON HOLLOW BLAST GRATE COMPANY, OF GREENVILLE, MICHIGAN.

POWER-DRIVEN TOOL.

srnornroacrrolv forming part of Letters Patent No. 698, dated April 2 Application filed January 8; 1902. Serial No. 88,923. (No model.)

i T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LRUFUS F. SPRAoUE,a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Montcalm and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Power-Driven T001, of which the following is a specification.

The use of tools rotated by handsuch, for

instance, as screw-drivers and the likeis very tedious and tiresome, aswell as slow,

and while the spiral and ratchet tools of this sort are more convenient andexpeditious time is wasted in the retrograde movements necessary to their operation. While this is apparently of small importance where there are few articlesto be operated upon, in 1 ,mounted in the opening 13 of the head 12 and large factories the lossot time is very great, and as these tools are in (extensive usefin many industries ,the matter becomes one of considerable magnitude in the aggregate.

The present invention relates to tools of l r this character; and the object thereof is to provide a power driven instrument which may be readilyapplied to the article to be operated upon, will rotate continuously as long as desired, and can be stopped immedi atelywhen the article is driven home.

The embodiment ofthe invention shown in theaccompanying drawings and described in the following specification is in the form of a screw-driver; but itwill be readily seen that it may be employed in connection with wrenches, bits, and various other tools...

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a screw-driver constructed in accordance with the present invention. gitudinal sectional viewthrough the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a portion of a slightly-modified tool which may beemployed for turning in screw-eyes. Fig. l is is a Fi 5 slightly-modified form of the tool. Fig. 6 is a bit that may be employed for boring the holes that receive the screws to be driven.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention a support,

preferably in the form of a tubular casing 10,

a head 12, provided withacentrally-arranged longitudinal opening 13. The casing is furthermore provided contiguous to the handle 11 with an opening 14,through which is passed 5 5 fa flexible shaft15, which may be attached to any suitable source of power (not shown) andis connected at its'inner end with a longitudinally-disposed stub-shaft15,journaled in a boxlG, secured bysuitable means within the casing. -To the lower end of this stubshaft is secured a clutch member 17, while the other end carriesa thrust-bearing in the shape of a nut or collar 18, so that said shaftis held against longitudinal movement in either di- 6 5 grection.

A tool-spindle 10 is rotatably and slidably is in alinement with the stub-shaft 15. The

outer end of this spindle is formed into suitable shape to operate upon any well-known article. Forinstance, in Figs. 1 and 2 ascrewdriver is shown, while in Fig. 3 a device 21 is shown intended to engage in the eye of a screw-eye for turning the same. ordinary and well-known form of wrench-head In Fig. 4 an 22 is illustrated, or a bit, as shown in Fig. 6, can be used for boringthe holes that receive the screws to be driven. Attached to the in- :ner end of the spindle is a clutch member 23, 8o th'at is movable into and' out of engagement 1 with the member 17 of the shaft. In the form shown the member 23has its inner face bev- {eled and frictionally engages in the correispondingdepression ofthe member 17. opposite face, as shown, is arranged to abut Its against the inner end of the head 12, thus limiting the outward movement of the spindle and forming a brake to hold the spindle against rotationjwhen outot engagement with 7 the clutch member, this latter feature, however, being unimportant. For the purpose of normally holding the spindle in its outer position, but primarily of holding the screwdriver firmly in the slot in the screw. or the 5 wrench on the nut at all times, a coiled resist ance spring 24 surrounds the exposed portion of the same and bears at one end against the outer end of the head, the other endbearing against a tension-collar 25, that is adj ust- '"r'o'o ably secured upon the shank by ascrew'26 or other suitable fastening means.

In Fig. 5 a slightly-modified form of the tool is illustrated. In this case the handle instead of extending in alinement with the The operation of the device will be perfectly apparent. Assuming that the shaft is in rotation while the spindle 19 is in its outer position, it will be seen that said spindle is not affected by the movement of the shaft.

' The operator places the bit in the slot of the screw-head and then applies sufficient pressure to the handle to disengage the clutch member 23 of the spindle from the inner end of the head and bring such clutch member into frictional engagement with the clutch member 17 of-the shaft, causing the spindle to be rotated with the shaft. be seen that the sudden transmission of motion to the spindle would tend to cause its outer extremity to leave the slot in the screw were it not for the coiled spring 24, which is adjusted to impart the requisite resistance to the spindleto overcome this tendency and hold the screw-driver firmly" in place in the slot. YVhen the screw has been driven home, the pressure upon the handle is relieved, causing the two clutch members to separate, the clutch member 23 to again engage the inner end of the head, and the spindle to cease to rotate. The resistance-spring therefore performsthree distinct functions. First, it promptlydisengages the clutch members upon the release of the pressure that induces their contact; secondly, it increases the frictional contact between the outer face of the clutch member carried by the tool-spindle and the head in which the spindle is journaled, thus quickly stopping the rotary motion of the spindle; thirdly, and most important, it holds the tool to its work, and for this reason it is placed in exposed position and is so arranged that its tension may be readily regulated to suit the requirements'of all classes of work. By this means it will be seen that an exceedingly simple instrument is provided, which accomplishes all the objects mentioned in the preliminary portion of the specification. Furthermore, the clutchesin this preferred form are entirely housed within the casing, and thereby protected from injury.

While this instrument has been described with the minutest detail, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited to the specific form shown and described, but is open to such changes and modifications as the scope of the appended claims will permit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an instrument of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of a driving-shaft journaled upon the support, a tool-spindle also journaled upon the sup- It will readily port and movable toward and from the drivlug-shaft, coacting clutch members carried by the shaft and spindle, and aresistancespring mounted upon the tool-spindle on one side of its clutch member to move said spindle away from the driving-shaft and hold it in engagement with the article operated upon.

2. In an instrument of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of a driving-shaft journaled upon the support, a tool-spindle also journaled upon the support and movable toward and from the driving-shaft, coacting clutch members carried by the shaft and spindle, and an exteriorlylocated resistance-spring mounted upon the tool-spindle on one side of its clutch member and bearing against theframe, said spring being arranged to move the spindle away from the driving-shaft-and hold it in engagement with the article operated upon.

3. In an instrument of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of a driving-shaft journaled upon the support, a tool-spindle also journaled upon. the support and movable toward and from the driving-shaft, coactingv clutch members carried by-theshaft and spindle, an eXteriorly-located resistance-spring mounted upon the tool-spindle and bearing against the frame, said spring being arranged to move the spindle away from the driving-shaft and hold it in engagement with the article. operated upon, and means for adjusting'the tension of the spring. 4. Inan instrument of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of a driving-shaft journaled upon the support, a tool-spindle also journaled and'longitudinally movable on the support in alinement with the driving-shaft, said spindle having one end adjacent to and in line with one end of the shaft, coacting clutch members carried by the adjacent ends-of the driving shaft and tool-spindle, and means engaging the toolspindle and the support to move said spindle away from the driving-shaft.

5. In aninstrument of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of

a driving-shaft journaled on the support, a

tool-spindle also journaled and longitudinally movable on the support in alinement with the driving-shaft, said spindle having one end located adjacent to and in line with one end of the shaft, coacting clutch members carried by the adjacent ends of the driving-shaft and tool-spindle, and a coiled spring surrounding the spindle and bearing against the same and the support to move said spindle away from the driving-shaft and maintain it in operative relation to the article operated upon.

6., In an instrument of the class described, the combination with a suitable support, of

,a driving-shaft journaled on the support, a

tool-spindle also j ournaled and longitudinally movable on the support in alinement with the driving-shaft, said spindle having one end located adjacent to and in line with one end of the shaft, coactin g clutch members carried by "collar and the support to move the spindle away from the driving-shaft and maintain said spindle in operative relation to the article operated upon. 1 V i 7. In aninstrument of the class described, the combination with a casing having a bandle, of a shaft journaled inthe casing, a toolspindle projecting from the casing and movabletoward the shaft, and coacting clutch members carried respectively by the inner ends of the spindle and shaft, said members being located within the casing, the member of the spindle being movablexintoand out-of engagement with the shaftmember upon the movement of said spindle.

V 8. In an instrument of the class described, thecombination with a casing having a handle at one end, of a tool-spindle rotatably mounted in the other end of the casing and longitudinally movabletherein, power-transmitting means passingthrough the side of the casing, clutch nemberssecured respectivcly to the inner endof the tool-spindle and the power-transmitting means said clutch members being located withinthe casing and one ofsaid members being movable into and out of engagement with the other, and means for holding the tool-spindle in operative engagement with thearticleoperated-upon;

9. In an instrument of the class described,

the combination" with a casing, of a drivingshaft journaled in the casing,atool-spindlef rotatably and slidably mounted in the casing in alinement with theshaft, the inner ends of said shaft and spindle being locatedwithin the casing, coacting clutch members carried by the adjacent inner ends of the shaft-and spindle, the clutchmember of the spindle being movable intoandout of engagement with Witnesses:

the shaft member upon the longitudinal reciprocation of said spindle, and adjustable yielding means engaging the spindle to move it outwardly, and maintain it in operative engagement with the article-operatedupon. 10. In an instrument of the class described,

the combination with a casing having a head at one end, of a shaft journaleddn thecasing and having a clutch member at its inner end, a spindle rotatably and slidably mounted in the head of the casing, a clutch member secured to the inner, end of the spindle and having one face coacting with the clutch member of the shaft, and means engaging theex posed end of the spindle to move said spindle away from the driving-shaft and maintain it in operative engagement with the articleoperated upon.

11. In an instrument of the class described, the combination with a casing having a head at one end, of a shaft journaled in the casing and having a clutch member at its inner end, a spindle rotatably and slidably mounted in thehead of the casing, a clutch member secured to'the inner end of the spindle and having one face coactingwit-hthe clutch member of the shaft, and the other coactingwith the inner face of the head as the spindle is moved in one direction or the other to rebearing against the same and the casingto move the spindle outwardlyand maintain it in operative engagement with the articleoperatedupon. if j i p In testimony that I claim the foregoinga's myown I have hereto affixed my signaturein the presence of two Witnesses. i

' RUFUS SPRAG'UE.

JOHN H. SERRIss, PAUL VAN DENISE. 

